Home Is Where The Heart Is
by Demi Darkshade
Summary: I have no idea how to summarize this, so just check it out for yourself and review, please!
1. Mismatched Meetings

Okay, I had to fix this and cut it up into smaller chapters.Was getting annoying.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Yu Yu Hakasho chars and never ever will. But Setra, Setria, Vance, ect. ARE mine. This lasts through the whole story, I don't want to type it every time..  
  
I slowly walked down the sidewalk, focusing on where I was putting my feet, trying to ignore the girls trailing me. They did this every day; it was annoying, but I put up with it every day, in school between classes and after school on my way home.  
  
Suddenly, I felt myself lurch forward; I lost my balance and went pitching forward with a cry. I heard someone shout and a strong hand caught the back of my shirt, jerking me to a stop with my nose an inch from the pavement, but choking me.  
  
"You alright?" someone asked, hauling me back up to my feet. I found myself facing a girl with reddish-brown hair and bright blue eyes with a dark ring around them. Oddly enough, she wore no makeup and, apparently, she didn't style her hair.  
  
"Yeah," I said, grinning, "Yeah, I'm fine."  
  
The girl grinned. She looked about my age. "I'm Setra. And you?"  
  
I wondered for a moment what name I should tell her before saying, "Kurama."  
  
"Nice to meet you!" Setra said, grinning and holding out a hand. I shook it; her grip was strong, but her hands felt delicate.  
  
"You too," I said, smiling. I knelt down and started to pick up the books I had been holding; Setra followed suit and began to pick up her books. "Sorry for tripping over you. Why'd you drop your books?"  
  
"S'okay," Setra said, grabbing her last book and shoving a pencil behind her ear. "Some boys tripped me for fun."  
  
I frowned, a bit annoyed; why did people pick on others? "What boys?"  
  
"A guy with orange hair and another guy with black hair." She said, getting to her feet.  
  
"Umm.Just out of curiosity, did the guy with the black hair have it slicked back?" I asked, standing up and shooting her a side glance.  
  
She gave me a funny look. "Yeah, why?"  
  
"Yusuke." I grumbled, shaking my head and beginning to walk.  
  
"Who?" She asked, falling in step with me.  
  
"Yusuke. He's a friend of mine, so I'll chew him out for you." I said with a smile and a shrug.  
  
"Nahh, s'okay!" Setra said, laughing. "I didn't get hurt or anything, it was just kinda mean."  
  
"That's why I should talk with him," I explained, smiling. "So he'll know he shouldn't have done it! Kuwabara too."  
  
"Kuwabara?" Setra asked, glancing at me sideways.  
  
"The guy with the orange hair," I explained.  
  
"Oh!" Setra laughed. "Well, this is my house." She motioned towards the walk they had reached. I gave an involuntary start of surprise; I hadn't realized we had been walking so fast! I looked up at her house; it was actually very pretty and reminded me a bit of my house, except that the garden was much bigger and had more plants, some of which I'd never seen. I wanted to go in and look at these plants; they looked interesting..  
  
"Oy! Set!" A boy with black hair and large, slanted eyes that were almost red raced down the walk and threw his arms around Setra in a hug. He was younger, only about eight or nine.  
  
Setra laughed and patted him on the head. "Nice to see you, too, Vance, we've been apart for a very short time yet it must have felt like an eternity to you!"  
  
Vance looked up at her face, beaming. He remind my a bit of Hiei, except that he was a lot nicer.Until he turned to look at me, that is.  
  
"Who's he?" He asked, his voice becoming sharp. "Why did he come here?"  
  
"Cool it, Vance, he's just a friend!" Setra snapped, glaring down at him.  
  
"Okay..." Vance let go of Setra and stepped back, looking me over. He snorted and started back up the walk. Setra smiled.  
  
"Sorry about that, he's just jealous." Setra said, laughing. "See ya around, Kurama!"  
  
I waved as I watched Setra make her way up the walk after Vance, whistling a tune that sounded tauntingly familiar.... 


	2. Tiring Words

I have more typed, but I'm putting it up slowly... Mello-Skello: You will seee..^..^ I give the song/poem thingy for the tune.er, next chapter or the one after that. Probably next. (Kurama: *glares at Demi* Why would I dr--MMFPH! *I clap a hand over his mouth* Me: DON'T GIVE IT AWAY!)  
  
Kurama!" Yusuke snapped his fingers in my face, making me start and blink past his fingers at his face. "Snap out of it! What's got you so preoccupied?"  
  
I moved Yusuke's hand out of my face and glared up at him. "Nothing that is any of your concern. Now, what were you saying?"  
  
"Pacifier breath wants us to come to a meeting," Yusuke said, sitting back down. "A week from now, on Saturday."  
  
Kuwabara groaned. "Why?"  
  
Yusuke shrugged. "Don't ask me!"  
  
I got up and grabbed my bag. "Well, if that's all.."  
  
Yusuke nodded. "Yep, that's it! Now, let's go home.."  
  
I suddenly remember something. "Hey, Yusuke, wait!"  
  
Yusuke, who had about to open the door to leave, stopped and turned around. "What?"  
  
"Why'd you trip that girl earlier?" I asked, glaring at him without realizing it.  
  
"What?...Oh, wait, a girl with brown hair?" Yusuke said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.  
  
"Yes, her," I snapped, annoyed, and frowning. "Why'd you trip her?"  
  
"Well, she was singing and walking with a spring in her step," Yusuke said thoughtfully, "So we thought it'd be fun to see what she'd do. She just glared, though, so it was a waste of time, but she did remind me a bit of Hiei when she did that.."  
  
I sighed; why'd I waste my breath on him? "Well, she just thought it was mean."  
  
"Wait, you talked with her?" Yusuke asked incredulously.  
  
"Yes, I did, her name's Setra and she's very nice!" I shot back, shouldering my book bag and storming out of Kuwabara's house.  
  
I found myself walking home with Setra every day, talking to her with more ease than I had ever been able to talk with any girl. She was smart, sweet and funny; pretty much the only thing I didn't like about walking home with her was that they had to part at her walk and the fact that Vance was always there, giving me nasty glares all the way up the street. He was reminding me more and more of Hiei every day.  
  
"Hmmph." Vance shoved his hands into his pockets, glaring up at me with an angry gleam in his eyes. "Setra, why do you bother with a nin--" He stopped at the look on Setra's face. He scowled and stormed off up the walk. Setra turned to me and smiled.  
  
"Sorry about that, he's grumpy," she said, pushing her hair off her shoulder. I watched Vance's departing back, slightly uneasy; I knew he had been about to say 'ningen,' which was the only name Hiei would call humans by.  
  
"It's okay," I lied with a smile. "Well, see ya tomorrow?"  
  
Setra nodded. "Yeah, I guess!"  
  
I started up the sidewalk again, headed for my own house. I was pretty certain that Setra had known what Vance was about to say, so she had to know about Spirit World.The only thing was, how do you ask a girl who seems like a perfectly normal teen if she knows about a world that's linked to this one?  
  
The week passed quickly; I feel asleep quickly on Friday, as thoroughly deep a sleep as if I had run several miles in a short space of time.  
  
Sunlight streamed in through the open window, aided by the breezes billowing out the curtains, but that wasn't what had awoken me. Only about five inches from my nose, two bright, slanted red eyes burned into my own.  
  
"Hello, Hiei," I grumbled, forcing myself to sit upright and grab the glass of water on my bedside table. I took a big gulp and choked on the room- temperature water, spewing it out over the comforter. Stupid, really, to put something in my mouth before I was fully awake.  
  
"What are you doing here?" I could help but ask Hiei, who had retreated to sit on my dresser, swinging his legs and glaring at me.  
  
"You're late, fox," Hiei snapped as an answer, pointing at the digital clock on the bedside table. I grabbed, a bit confused, it and stared at the digits: 2:32 PM.  
  
I stared in honest and outright disbelief at it for a while before turning my gaze back to Hiei, who was still glaring at me.  
  
"Wow," was all I could manage. Hiei's frown became more pronounced.  
  
"It's Saturday, fox. Think." He snapped, jumping off the dresser and jumping out the window into the tree outside.  
  
I had to rack my brain for only a moment when it came back to me: The meeting! I shot out of bed and began to dress swiftly, trying to keep in mind that haste makes waste; the faster I tried to go, the longer I would end up taking.  
  
Finally, I got everything on the right way and on the right body part and grabbed the clock the check the time: it was already 3:00?!  
  
I shot like a bullet out the front door and down the walk, nearly colliding with Setra, who had been about to start up it. She gave a startled cry and fell backwards into a puddle along the side of the street.  
  
"Oh! Set, I'm sorry!" I gasped, appalled but what I had just done. I helped her to her feet, apologizing profusely. She laughed and wrung out her shirt.  
  
"That's okay, I have my bathing suit on under this anyway," She said, dropping the edge of her shirt and wringing water out of her ponytail. "So what's the hurry?"  
  
"I'm late for, um, an afterschool thing, so I really gotta go, sorry!" I lied again and shot off in the direction of the school, which was, thankfully, the way I had needed to go anyway. Setra blinked after me.  
  
"Damn," she said, frowning. "And I was hoping he'd be free to do something with me today.Oh, well.." She sighed, shoved her hands in her pockets, and started back home, whistling a tune. 


	3. Lost Goddess?

And ta-da, the third chapter, which I think is very stupid but am putting up anyways. Haha.  
  
"Okay, I'm here," I panted breathlessly, sliding into Koenma's room thirty minutes later. "What'd I miss?"  
  
"Oh, there's only a goddess who got chucked out of her world on ours!" Yusuke said sarcastically. "And her world is only gonna crumble into pieces if we can't find her!"  
  
"Oh," I said, and then the information sunk in. "Oooohhh!" Kuwabara and Yusuke let out suppressed snickers of laughter, covering their mouths with their hands, but Hiei, who continued to glare out the window, only let out a small 'hn.'  
  
"Shut up, you two, this isn't funny!" Koenma snapped. "She's the main goddess on Trenia, if she can't be found, that entire world will collapse!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, alright already, you've already told us!" Yusuke grumbled, waving a hand and shoving the other one in his pocket. "She and whats-his- face, the demon dude, just 'cuz he and the goddess chick are boyfriend- girlfriend.."  
  
Koenma threw him a very dirty look. "His name is Vancelention, and you'd do well to remember that; he's twice as touchy as Hiei is!"  
  
Hiei finally moved to turn and give Koenma a deadly glare, but Yusuke and Kuwabara started laughing again.  
  
"Wow, I didn't think anyone could be touchier than Hiei!" Kuwabara choked out, leaning on Yusuke for support.  
  
For once, Hiei didn't retaliate; he merely turned his head back to the window and glared out of it again. This made Yusuke and Kuwabara stop laughing to stare at him.  
  
"Hey, shorty, you feeling okay?" Kuwabara asked, wiping tears of laughter out of his eyes.  
  
"Fine," Hiei snapped, his arms folded. "Just leave me alone, Kuwabaka."  
  
Yusuke and Kuwabara looked at each other, shrugged, and turned to face Koenma.  
  
"Soooo, all we gotta do is find these two?" Yusuke asked, a hopeful tone in his voice.  
  
Koenma nodded. "And bring them back here! Now, we don't know what they look like, but they'll have certain characteristics..."  
  
Koenma began to describe what to look for in their personality, but my mind was wandering anywhere and elsewhere; back in my warm, fluffy bed, wandering around town, and sitting on the shade of my porch, reading a good book...  
  
"Coming, fox?" Hiei's voice snapped me back to reality. I looked down at him and smiled.  
  
"Sure," I said and followed Hiei out. Finally, we got back to my house; Hiei jumped up onto the windowsill to be let in when I tramped up the stairs to my room, of course by the front door.  
  
"Suuichi?" My mother, Shiori Minamino, poked her head around a corner. "A girl was here earlier!" "What was her name?" I asked, calling out from the top of the stairs.  
  
"Setra!" Shiori said, smiling. "She said to tell you she wanted to see you when you got back!"  
  
"Thank you, Mother!" I smiled and went into my room, where Hiei was sitting on my bed.  
  
"Who's Setra?" He asked quickly.  
  
"A friend of mine," I explained, sitting next to him and draining my glass of water. "She's nice, really, and we're just friends." Hiei snorted.  
  
"Ningens?" He asked, frowning. "Don't know why you even bother." He stood up and jumped out of the window.  
  
I sighed, got up and closed it after him. That was the problem with Hiei; no matter how badly you wanted to talk with him, he always left before you had said two words!  
  
I went to his bookshelf and began to skim over titles, annoyed at the fact I had already read most of them and what few I hadn't read I had started and found impossible to get into. I finally gave up and clumped down the stairs to check the bookshelves down there.  
  
Finding nothing interesting to me, I slowly walked back upstairs and flung myself onto my bed. Why hadn't I given Setra my phone number or something, or at least asked for hers? I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling.  
  
"She won't even be able to look me up, Kurama isn't in the phone book!" I said to a fly that was passing by. It buzzed past, apparently ignorant of my very boring existence.  
  
"I wonder if she'd be at her house," I mused to myself. I decided to check, so I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, stood up, and started for the door, then thought better of it and took the window instead. 


	4. White Roses and Tears

Okay, uh, well, no ones reviewing but I don't care. I want to put this up! ^^ And Kurama, I don't care if you didn't give me permission to screw with your life. Kammy did! Blame her! And oh, yes, Kammy and I are working on a fic called Mazes of the Heart. Will be up....soon...I hope. We keep getting sidetracked. (AGGRR!!!)  
  
Okay, uh, yeah..  
  
Five minutes later, I found that my feet had carried me directly to Setra's house. Vance was sitting on the swing out front, very slowly going back and forth, absorbed in a book. He didn't even look up when I surreptitiously began to edge my way up the walk, using every ounce of cunning I had, trying to avoid catching the young boy's sharp eyes.  
  
I got to the door alright, but when I pressed the doorbell, Vance's head shot up and his eyes burned holes into the back of my head.  
  
"Ningen," I thought I heard Vance hiss in an undertone. It took a minute, but he heard a lock scrape open and the door cracked enough to show a bright blue eye that widened when it located the person who had run the bell; in other words, when Setra saw me.  
  
Setra said 'no' to something behind her and pushed the door open the rest of the way. She was wearing a white summer dress, her hair was pulled back in a ponytail on the back of her head and her feet were slipped into white flip-flops. She smiled and leaned against the door jam, toying with a piece of her hair.  
  
"Hey," She said, grinning. "What brings you here?"  
  
"Err," I rubbed the back of my neck and nervously shrugged. "I just got back, so I thought I would come and make up for blowing you off like that."  
  
Setra laughed. "Really, it's no big deal. Want to come in?" She stepped back and motioned me inside; I stepped into the cool of her house.  
  
"Are your parents out?" I asked, looking around. There were portraits on the wall of a smiling family..Well; most of them were smiling at least. A boy who had to be Vance was standing a little apart with his arms crossed and was wearing a slight frown.  
  
Setra's smile faltered and failed; she looked down at her feet and toyed with the edge of her dress.  
  
"They.they're dead," she said, shutting her eyes and sighing. "They left everything to me, and told me to take care of Vance. I'm old enough to take care of myself and stuff, so it's okay, but.."  
  
She glanced up at me, as if seeking my approval.  
  
"Oh." I shifted nervously. "Oh, I'm sorry, if I'd known, I wouldn't have asked..."  
  
Setra laughed, a quick, nervous sound, which she cut off quickly and returned to playing with her dress. "No, no, it's okay, really, you didn't know!"  
  
I smiled. "Okay, well, what have you been doing?"  
  
"Reading," She said, motioning me towards the den, where a thick book was lying open on the couch. She sunk back down onto the couch, tucked a leg underneath her, marked her page and put it aside, then turned to look at me. "It's an okay book, but it takes a while to get into it."  
  
I got a glance of the title, but it was in Spanish; Why did I skip that class?! Why?!  
  
"Oh," she laughed, seeing the infuriated look on my face; well, not exactly angry, just incredibly annoyed. "It's in English inside the book, go on.."  
  
I picked it up and flicked it open. The title page had been ripped out.  
  
"Oh, wait, I'm sorry, I forgot," Setra said apologetically, "It was my mothers, she gave it to me. She.She had found it on a bench in the park."  
  
I set it back down. "So, what's the title anyway?"  
  
"I don't know!" Setra exclaimed, shrugging, "I don't know Spanish, either!"  
  
I sighed and sank down next to her. "Oh.Well, I don't need to know what the title is anyway." I heard the door open and a loud bark issued from the other side of the house.  
  
"Down, Uri, down!" Vance's voice drifted through into the den. "Down, I said!" Vance started to laugh. "Stop it, girl! Cut it out!"  
  
I watched Vance as he backed into the den, hands out to stop a large white dog from tackling him. He had taken off his shirt; it was draped over his shoulder. He glanced over his shoulder, caught sight of me, and scowled. In the second his attention wasn't focused on Uri, she pounced and flattened Vance, licking his face furiously.  
  
"Aaaakch! Uri! Off! Down, bad girl, bad girl!" Vance tried to shove the dog off, but Uri continued to lick him. "OFF!" He heaved at the dog and it backed off, whining. Vance's expression softened and he laughed.  
  
"Oh, alright, c'mon, let's go upstairs, Uri!" Vance and Uri took off, racing each other, or so it seemed.  
  
Setra laughed. "Look at that! Uri is the only thing he'll show compassion for." She sighed and rubbed her temples. "Ever since his parents died, at least..."  
  
I frowned, a bit confused. "What about you?"  
  
Setra laughed again and shook her head. "Well, yes, but he does prefer the dog. Says she at least doesn't order him around!" She looked rather sad as she said this.  
  
Vance came back down the stairs, rubbing his fingers through his hair. "Set, where'd I leave my book? I know I took it in.."  
  
Setra glanced around and picked up a book off the table. "Here," she pressed it into his hands; he smiled, thanked her, gave me a deadly glare and shot back off up the stairs, whistling a tune.  
  
I stared after him, confused. "Why doesn't Vance like me? I mean, it's not like I'd take you away from him!"  
  
Setra sighed and got to her feet, brushing off her dress. "Well, he's never been a people person.I mean, he doesn't even miss his parents at all! He never wishes he was back with them, and he can't stand being in school.."  
  
She started to walk off; I got to my feet and followed her into the kitchen. She was leaning against the sink, wrapping the vine of an elegant flower around her finger and then letting it go to study the curl it made.  
  
"He hates it here, Kurama." She said softly, now staring out the window to the garden beyond. "He just wants to go home, only..." She turned to look into my emerald green eyes. "I don't know where home is anymore, Kurama..It's not here, it's not where we were last time, it's.not anywhere." She stroked the petals of the flower; it seemed to croon softly and lift the petals against her fingers.  
  
I watched her for a moment, then my eyes moved to a liquid sunbeam that was tracing its way down her cheek. It took me a moment to realize she was crying before I lifted his hand and brushed the tear away. She gave a choked little laugh and sniffed.  
  
"Look at me, crying in the kitchen.." She straightened her dress and motioned for me to follow her outside. She knelt by a large rose bush and began to check each rose until she came to a perfect one. "Here," she said, snapping it off smoothly and handing it to me. "Keep it. They.They don't wilt very easily." She smiled and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. 


	5. More Questions Than Answers

I really want reviews, people! I won't discontinue it, but I really WOULD like some more! Please!  
  
Almost an hour later, I was walking home slowly, whistling the same tune Vance had been; I was confused, though. A rose that didn't wilt, a little boy who knew a tune long forgotten by myself, and a young woman whose heart couldn't say where home was! I sighed, a bit exasperated, and began to make my way up my own walk, eyes fixed on the ground.  
  
I suddenly remembered something: When I had been walking and tripped over Setra, I had been paying attention to where I was putting my feet! So how had I not seen her or her books? It didn't make sense! I shouldered the door open and stepped inside. It was quite and there was a note on the table.  
  
I quickly read it over; it was just about how my mother had left to go to a friend's house in a different city, emergency, she wouldn't be back for a while, supper was on the stove.  
  
Too bad I don't feel like eating, I thought, rather miserably, letting the note drop back on the table and staring up the stairs.  
  
When I entered his room, my first thought was that Vance had fallen asleep on my bed, but then I realized it was only Hiei; Vance would probably die rather than spike his hair like that.  
  
"Hiei?" I ventured bravely, poking the fire demon in the back. He muttered and shifted but didn't wake. "Hiei." (another poke) "Hiei!" (a harder poke) "HIEI!" I slapped his shoulder hard enough to make him wake up.  
  
He rolled over onto his knees and glared at me, his nose barely an inch from my own. "WHAT, fox?!"  
  
I dragged Hiei off the bed and onto his feet. "We need to see Koenma again, now."  
  
Hiei slapped my hands off his shoulder. If looks could kill, I'd be dead. "Why? We saw him earlier today!"  
  
"Well." I paused and sighed. "I saw my friend today and I realized there's something funny about her."  
  
Hiei growled. "She?"  
  
I sighed and shoved Hiei towards the door. "Yes, she, and we're just friends, so deal!"  
  
And for the second time that day, Hiei didn't retort; he just shut his mouth and let me lead him to Koenma's palace.  
  
"Koenma!" I burst through the door, dragging Hiei after me, making Koenma jump a foot and his hat slip off. "Kurama? What is it?" He asked, catching his hat and shoving it back on his head. "I want you to look up Setra!" I gasped, one hand clutching at a stitch in my side, the other grasping the edge of the desk for support. "Now, please?" Koenma gave me a look like I was crazy but obeyed; the screen which came up said: No information found; check for spelling errors and try again. I grinned, not really surprised. "I knew it! I just knew it!" I drummed my fingers on the tabletop, frowning. "She's not from this world, I just know it.." "Errr..." Koenma cleared his throat. "Just curious, but, what did you know?" "That Setra isn't from here, she's just not normal," I said in an offhand voice, waving a hand. "She's just too different." Comprehension dawned on Koenma's face, followed by a look that suggested Christmas had come early. "Might she be the Goddess? I mean, it makes sense!" He jumped up, not that it made much of a difference in his height. "Okay, tomorrow, I want to go to her house and meet her! I'll be able to tell if it's her or just some messed up girl!" I glared at him. "Really? Well, I don't know if she'll take kindly to that.Maybe I ought to invite her over and you could drop in.." "Or we could do that," Koenma said, still smiling. "It would be the perfect plan! Glad I thought of it!" He sat back down, ignoring my sigh. "Well, tomorrow it is then!" 


	6. Youko Dreams

Okay. One review. And how long have I been idle? (Thanks to my becoming re- addicted to FF8 and Irvine....^-^) Oh, who cares. I'm having fun anyway. But I do like reviews!!!  
  
"Setra? Oh, so glad you could come!" Shiori led Setra into the den, where I was sitting, rereading a book. I looked up as she came in, smiled and pointed at Koenma, who had put aside his pacifier for this occasion and was in his teen form.  
  
"This is Koenma, Setra. He wasn't supposed to come over today, but he did," I said, glaring convincingly at Koenma, who shrugged.  
  
"Nice to meet you, Setra!" Koenma said, jumping up and shaking her hand. "Sit down, won't you?"  
  
Setra blinked at me over Koenma's shoulder, gave a mumbled thanks to Koenma, and sat down next to me. After only a few minutes of talking, Koenma got up and motioned for me to follow him out into the hall.  
  
"It can't be her," Koenma whispered in my ear when they where out of her sight. "She's just a weird girl!"  
  
There was a knock on the door; Shiori hurried to answer it and found Vance standing on the doorstep.  
  
"Setra's here, right?" He asked, staring up at Shiori.  
  
"Yes, do come in?!" She said, motioning him in. Vance stepped inside, rather reluctant and glared at me before heading for the den. Koenma and I poked our heads around the corner. Setra and Vance were talking in undertones; Vance apparently was trying to get her to leave.  
  
"Oh, alright," Setra said with a sigh. "Sorry, Kurama, we gotta go." She took Vance's hand and lead the way out, thanking Shiori for letting her come over. Shiori nodded and smiled.  
  
"Anytime!" She said; Setra gave a weak smile and left, walking fast.  
  
"Hmm," Koenma frowned. "Now he acted like the demon we want. Exactly, actually. Well, I'd better go! See you later, Suuichi!"  
  
I watched Koenma leave and went back up to my room, ready to flop down on my bed, but Hiei was occupying it again, glaring at the door. His gaze switched up to my face when I entered, though, and I knew almost instantly that something was wrong.  
  
Hiei didn't look mad; he looked worried. "Kurama..." He started, but shook his head and jumped out the window.  
  
"Hiei?!" I leaned out the open window and tried to see where Hiei had gone, but he had already disappeared. I now knew that something was big-time wrong; Hiei never called me by my name; to him it was always 'fox.'  
  
I pulled my head back in and threw myself down on my bed, thinking. I knew that something was up with Setra; she wasn't human, I was sure of it. And Vance couldn't be human, not at all. And what was up with Hiei?  
  
I wasn't quite sure when my jumbled thoughts turned into my jumbled dreams; I just knew that one moment I was worrying about Hiei and the next I wasn't worried at all; I was scared.  
  
I was running down a garden path with a swing at the end, but the further and faster I ran, the farther away the swing got, its occupant, who was singing, apparently not noticing. I had the completely irrational and insane feeling that if I let the swing and its occupant out of my sight, they'd be gone forever, never to be seen again.  
  
I called out the name of the person on the swing; they continued to swing, oblivious to the movement of their seat. The song drifted to my ears, and I redoubled my efforts, screaming for them to stop, come back to me.....  
  
'Far away the sun is shining, River bright and grass so green, Home is where the heart is, True and true, it's been seen; People are most happy, Never ever blue, When they are at their house, Their home the heart has chosen true!'  
  
"WAIT!" I screamed, and I found myself sitting up in bed, my hand stretched out for someone who wasn't even there, a cold sweat pouring down my face.  
  
I slowly dropped my hand and grabbed my glass of water, drained half of it, and set it back down, wiping sweat off my forehead.  
  
"What was that about?" Hiei's voice came from somewhere in the shadows of my room to my left. I turned my head, looking that way, and tried to see him; I could see Hiei's eyes, glaring at me through the shadows, but no more.  
  
"Nothing," I lied, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed.  
  
"Like hell," Hiei snapped, stepping forward so that I could see half of his face. "You were calling out for that ningen girl."  
  
I could feel myself blush furiously. "Was I?" Then that must have been who was on the swing; I hadn't been able to hear what name I was calling out for in my dream. I pushed my damp bangs off my forehead and checked the clock: 5:34 A.M. Well, I would be waking up in an hour, anyway.  
  
I clicked on the lamp and light flooded the room, causing Hiei and I both to squint and blink rapidly. I slowly stood up, tired muscles and joints groaning at the hour, and stretched my arms over my head, yawning. Hiei watched me for a moment, frowning, before jumping out the window. Light from the streetlamps outside turned the curtains a drained orange. I had always hated that color; why did all the lamps have to be that way?  
  
Grumbling, I dug through my dresser drawers, looking for something to wear. Finally, I settled on a simple white shirt and jeans, nothing special. For some reason, I didn't want to draw any attention to myself today, though I knew that would be next to impossible.  
  
Thirty minutes later, I found myself sitting in the kitchen with no recollection as to how I had gotten there, gazing stupidly at the wall with my head in my hands and my mouth hanging open. I lifted my head off my hands, moved my neck to loosen a crick, and looked down at the paper I had before him. Hadn't I finished this? It was my math assignment. No, I'd been too busy, of course!  
  
I returned to it and finished it quickly, my mind only half on it. The rest was thinking about my dream. Would Setra disappear if I took my eyes off her for just a second to turn around and see what else was going on? Or would she stay and wait for me to catch back up? I sighed, slammed my math book shut, and put it back in my bag, my paper still in it. Thirty more minutes to go and nothing to do!  
  
I watched the second hand travel around the face of the clock in the kitchen for a while before I realized I wasn't in my kitchen anymore; I was standing in Setra's, but it was warped. The walls were bent and twisted, there were huge, gaping holes in the floor, and everything seemed to have been half-melted.  
  
Vance appeared in the doorway. He looked up at the drip that was frozen, hanging from the melted doorway. It was an inch from his pointed nose and he grinned up at it.  
  
"Strange, huh?" He asked, his voice echoing slightly. I felt myself nodding.  
  
"Yeah," I said quietly, gazing around in a stunned way. "What happened here?"  
  
Vance touched the frozen drip; it began to sag downwards, along with everything else. "Good-bye, Youko..." I heard Vance whisper before I began to scream, trying to catch onto something solid that didn't flow from under and between my fingers. I fell into black oblivion, still screaming, until I landed hard on the kitchen floor with Hiei slapping me across the face.  
  
"Wake up, fox!" Hiei snapped, giving me a particularly hard slap. I managed to get a hold on myself (along with the front of Hiei's shirt) and leaned my head against Hiei's chest, glad it was solid, glad it didn't melt away into darkness.  
  
"Alright," Hiei snapped, shoving me back, "What was the dream about this time? You just started screaming your head off..."  
  
"I dreamed," I started, stopped and took a deep breath before beginning again, "I dreamed I was in Setra's kitchen, but it was melted...And Vance came in, and everything started to melt again...I fell through the floor and just keep falling....." I shuddered and rubbed my arms; was it always this cold in here?  
  
Hiei watched my face, which went from fear to confusion.  
  
"Hiei, what time is it?" I asked, turning to face Hiei, who laughed.  
  
"Too late to go to school," He said, point at the clock, which said 9:53 AM. "You've missed the late bell."  
  
I cursed and jumped to my feet. "Why didn't Mother wake me?!"  
  
Hiei shrugged. "She's still asleep," he said, sitting down against the wall. He was being strangely nice....  
  
"Hiei, is something wrong?" I asked, making Hiei scowl.  
  
"No, for the last time, nothings wrong!" Hiei jumped up, frowning. "Now would you just leave me alone, fox?!" And for once, Hiei strode out the front door and slammed it hard enough to make a picture fall off the wall and shatter when it hit the floor. I stared at the photo through the glass, wondering what was wrong with Hiei for a moment before getting to my feet and following him out.  
  
Of course, Hiei was nowhere in sight, but I wasn't worried about him; I wanted to see Setra. I started towards her house, taking my time, since she wouldn't be there. It took about ten minutes to get there; of course, the windows were black and the swing vacant, creaking in the slight breeze. I shivered and drew my coat closer around myself, wishing I had thought to wear something other than the thin coat I had.  
  
I lowered myself onto the swing in a resigned way, waiting for 2:30 to roll around. I let the wind blow the swing around, thinking about what I had dreamed and trying to analyze it.  
  
I didn't realize I'd fallen asleep until Setra's face swam into view in the darkness that had enveloped me.  
  
"Kurama! Kurama, wake up!" Setra shook me very gently and my eyes snapped open, wide and afraid.  
  
"Setra!" I grabbed her elbows, "Thank god! I had the weirdest dream!"  
  
Setra chewed on her lower lip for a while before sighing. "C'mon, let's go in and have a cup of tea...That'll calm you down...." 


	7. Falling Deeper

Sorry for the long wait, people. This is the last chapter for a bit, I need to write more of it so I don't hassle myself trying to make a chapter. I'm really sorry about not updating it. The lack of reviews is killing my confidence..... =( PRETTY PLEASE REVIEWS I NEED!  
  
Setra stared into her cup, her eyes blank and her mouth a thin line that showed no expression. She had been sitting like this long enough to make me worry, and just as I opened my mouth to ask if she was okay, she said, "I don't get it. I just don't get it." "Don't get what?" Vance asked. He was curled up on the couch with his arms crossed and a sour expression on. He had been like this since I had told them about the dream where Vance melted everything (I had conveniently forgot to tell them about Vance saying 'Goodbye, Youko.'). "Why he would dream like that," She said, frowning. "I mean, I know you don't like him, Vance, but would you kill him?" Vance snorted. "Not unless he had hurt you....." Setra smiled. "And he wouldn't do that, right?" Vance asked, his eyes flashing. "Err...right," I agreed quickly, feeling my cup slip slightly through my now-sweaty fingers. Vance's eyes narrowed and he made a sound in the back of his throat, not unlike the 'hn' Hiei was always making. He got up and strode out of the room, his head bent forward and his eyes flashing as he passed me. I watched him leave, wondering just what was up with him. "I should go," I said suddenly, getting up. "My mother will be worried." Setra, who had opened her mouth to argue that she wanted me to say, shut it and then said, "Oh. Well, see you tomorrow...." I nodded and walked out of the house, shutting the door behind me.  
  
When I got home, I went straight to bed, wondering how I could sleep so much yet be so tired. I began to dream again, but this time is was more of a memory with a few things very twisted. Kuronue was sitting on a bench in a poorly lit room, brushing out his black hair and frowning. When he spoke, his voice echoed faintly, the same way Vance's had. "I don't see what the big deal is," he said, "It's not like I've done anything!" Absently, I nodded and toyed with a strand of my own hair. "Me neither! You did nothing to him....." Kuronue dropped his hand, stood, and began to pace, tossing the brush and catching it. "Soo....Are we going to do it?" He asked finally, turning only his head to look at my, his eyebrows rose. I nodded. "Yes, why not? It was mine...." I paused and stood up, about to say something else. But the world was melting again; I reached out to grab Kuronue, but he melted away with everything else. I thrashed in the darkness, screaming for someone to drag me out of it. Someone obliged, roughly snatching me from oblivion and slamming me onto the floor. I found myself staring up into Hiei's face, a thin line of blood streaking from the corner of his mouth. I sat up, stunned. "Oh! Hiei!" I gasped, reaching out to wipe the blood off Hiei's chin. Amazingly enough, Hiei allowed this, looking slightly worried. "Are you okay, fox? You were screaming and rolled off the bed...." Hiei's voice shook very faintly; I noted it and smiled. "I'm fine; it was just a bad dream....." I ran my fingers through my hair and noted that Hiei was sitting on my lap. "Errrr...." Hiei jumped up, his cheeks slightly pink. "I'll just...go...then....." "No!" I cried, jumping up so fast that Hiei started. "No, please, Hiei, I don't want to be left alone....The dream....." Hiei frowned slightly. "The dream? What dream? Not...." I nodded, wringing my hands. "Yeah, I keep...keep falling into nothingness..." Hiei scowled but took up his position on the dresser. "Okay, fine, I'll stay....." I climbed back into bed, my eyes fixed on Hiei until I began to slide off into sleep. 


End file.
